Surgical instruments with firing system overload protection mechanisms

ABSTRACT

A surgical instrument that includes an end effector and a trigger that is actuatable between a first position and a second position. An actuation drive is movable between an unactuated position and an actuated position in response to actuation of the trigger. A toggle assembly is transitionable between a folded configuration and an expanded configuration, wherein the toggle assembly is configured to motivate the actuation drive to effectuate a movement in the end effector in the folded configuration. The toggle assembly being configured to bypass the actuation drive when in the expanded configuration. A resetting member is operable to return the toggle assembly to the folded configuration.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to surgical instruments and, in various embodiments, to surgical instruments configured to cut, fasten and/or seal tissue that employ axially moving actuation drive members.

Various forms of surgical instruments exist for cutting and fastening tissue. One form of such an instrument comprises a stapling instrument that includes a pair of cooperating elongate jaw members, wherein each jaw member can be adapted to be inserted into a patient and positioned relative to tissue that is to be stapled and/or incised. In various embodiments, one of the jaw members can support a staple cartridge with at least two laterally spaced rows of staples contained therein, and the other jaw member can support an anvil with staple-forming pockets aligned with the rows of staples in the staple cartridge. Generally, the stapling instrument can further include a pusher bar and an axially movable knife blade which are slidable relative to the jaw members to sequentially eject the staples from the staple cartridge via camming surfaces on the pusher bar and/or camming surfaces on a wedge sled that is pushed by the pusher bar. In at least one embodiment, the camming surfaces can be configured to activate a plurality of staple drivers carried by the cartridge and associated with the staples in order to push the staples against the anvil and form laterally spaced rows of deformed staples in the tissue gripped between the jaw members. In at least one embodiment, the knife blade can trail the camming surfaces and cut the tissue along a line between the staple rows. Examples of such stapling instruments are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,794,475, entitled SURGICAL STAPLES HAVING COMPRESSIBLE OR CRUSHABLE MEMBERS FOR SECURING TISSUE THEREIN AND STAPLING INSTRUMENTS FOR DEPLOYING THE SAME, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.

Other forms of surgical instruments employ an axially movable cutting member to cut through tissue and then employ energy to seal and/or coagulate the tissue. For example, ultrasonic surgical instruments, including both hollow core and solid core instruments, are used for the safe and effective treatment of many medical conditions. Ultrasonic surgical instruments, and particularly solid core ultrasonic surgical instruments, are advantageous because they may be used to cut and/or coagulate tissue using energy in the form of mechanical vibrations transmitted to a surgical end effector at ultrasonic frequencies. Ultrasonic vibrations, when transmitted to tissue at suitable energy levels and using a suitable end effector, may be used to cut, dissect, coagulate, elevate or separate tissue. Ultrasonic surgical instruments utilizing solid core technology are particularly advantageous because of the amount of ultrasonic energy that may be transmitted from the ultrasonic transducer, through an ultrasonic transmission waveguide, to the surgical end effector. Such instruments may be used for open procedures or minimally invasive procedures, such as endoscopic or laparoscopic procedures, wherein the end effector is passed through a trocar to reach the surgical site.

Activating or exciting the end effector (e.g., cutting blade, ball coagulator) of such instruments at ultrasonic frequencies induces longitudinal vibratory movement that generates localized heat within adjacent tissue, facilitating both cutting and coagulating. Because of the nature of ultrasonic surgical instruments, a particular ultrasonically actuated end effector may be designed to perform numerous functions, including, for example, cutting and coagulating. The following references which are each hereby incorporated by reference herein in their respective entireties disclose various forms of such surgical instruments and systems:

U.S. Pat. No. 8,685,020, entitled SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS AND END EFFECTORS THEREFOR;

U.S. Pat. No. 8,702,704, entitled ELECTROSURGICAL CUTTING AND SEALING INSTRUMENT;

U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2012/0184946 A1, entitled ERGONOMIC SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS;

U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2014/0194914 A1, entitled SURGICAL CUTTING AND SEALING INSTRUMENT WITH REDUCED FIRING FORCE.

The foregoing discussion is intended only to illustrate various aspects of the related art in the field of the invention at the time, and should not be taken as a disavowal of claim scope.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various features of the embodiments described herein, together with advantages thereof, may be understood in accordance with the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings as follows:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary surgical instrument that employs an overload protection system of at least one form of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the handle of the surgical instrument of FIG. 1 with a portion of the handle housing removed to permit viewing of various components and systems located within the handle;

FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view of one form of surgical end effector that may be employed with various forms of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of portions of the surgical instrument of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a partial perspective view of portions of one form of overload protection system of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a portion of the overload protection system of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a partial side perspective view of portions of the overload protection system of FIGS. 5 and 6 with the toggle assembly in a first or folded orientation;

FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of the portions of the overload system depicted in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a partial cross-sectional view of the portions of the overload system of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is another partial cross-sectional view of the portions of the overload system of FIG. 9 with the toggle assembly still in engagement with the drive plate during actuation of the firing system;

FIG. 11 is another partial cross-sectional view of portions of the overload system with the toggle assembly in the collapsed and by-passed position;

FIG. 12 is a side elevational view of the portions of the overload system in the position illustrated in FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a partial cross-sectional view of the portions of the overload system of FIGS. 11 and 12;

FIG. 14 is a partial cross-sectional view of portions of another overload system of the present invention with the toggle assembly in a first or folded orientation;

FIG. 15 is another partial cross-sectional view of portions of the overload system of FIG. 14 with the toggle assembly thereof in a collapsed or bypass orientation;

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a portion of a drive train assembly of another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 17 is another perspective view of the portion of the drive train assembly of FIG. 16 during an application of an actuation force thereto;

FIG. 18 is a side view of a portion of an actuation system employed in connection with the drive train assemblies of FIGS. 16 and 17;

FIG. 19 is a plan view of a portion of a drive train assembly of another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 20 is another plan view of the drive train assembly of FIG. 19;

FIG. 21 is a partial side view of a portion of a firing and overload system of another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 22 is another partial side view of the firing and overload system of FIG. 21;

FIG. 23 is a top view of a portion of another surgical instrument embodiment of the present invention with the firing system in an unactuated orientation; and

FIG. 24 is another top view of the surgical instrument of FIG. 23 which the firing system in an overload condition.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. The exemplifications set out herein illustrate certain embodiments of the invention, in one form, and such exemplifications are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention in any manner.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the overall structure, function, manufacture, and use of the embodiments as described in the specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Well-known operations, components, and elements have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the embodiments described in the specification. The reader will understand that the embodiments described and illustrated herein are non-limiting examples, and thus it can be appreciated that the specific structural and functional details disclosed herein may be representative and illustrative. Variations and changes thereto may be made without departing from the scope of the claims.

The terms “comprise” (and any form of comprise, such as “comprises” and “comprising”), “have” (and any form of have, such as “has” and “having”), “include” (and any form of include, such as “includes” and “including”) and “contain” (and any form of contain, such as “contains” and “containing”) are open-ended linking verbs. As a result, a surgical system, device, or apparatus that “comprises,” “has,” “includes” or “contains” one or more elements possesses those one or more elements, but is not limited to possessing only those one or more elements. Likewise, an element of a system, device, or apparatus that “comprises,” “has,” “includes” or “contains” one or more features possesses those one or more features, but is not limited to possessing only those one or more features.

The terms “proximal” and “distal” are used herein with reference to a clinician manipulating the handle portion of the surgical instrument. The term “proximal” referring to the portion closest to the clinician or, in cases wherein a robot system is employed to actuate the surgical instrument, the portions of the surgical instrument that are closest to the robotically controlled actuation system and the term “distal” referring to the portion located away from the clinician or the robotically controlled actuation system. It will be further appreciated that, for convenience and clarity, spatial terms such as “vertical”, “horizontal”, “up”, and “down” may be used herein with respect to the drawings. However, surgical instruments are used in many orientations and positions, and these terms are not intended to be limiting and/or absolute.

Various exemplary devices and methods are provided for performing laparoscopic and minimally invasive surgical procedures. However, the reader will readily appreciate that the various methods and devices disclosed herein can be used in numerous surgical procedures and applications including, for example, in connection with open surgical procedures. As the present Detailed Description proceeds, the reader will further appreciate that the various instruments disclosed herein can be inserted into a body in any way, such as through a natural orifice, through an incision or puncture hole formed in tissue, etc. The working portions or “end effector” portions of the instruments can be inserted directly into a patient's body or can be inserted through an access device that has a working channel through which the end effector and elongated shaft of a surgical instrument can be advanced.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary surgical instrument 10 which includes a handle 20, an elongate shaft assembly 100 and an end effector 200 that is operably connected to the elongate shaft assembly 100. The handle 20 is designed to be held and manually manipulated by the clinician. It will also be appreciated that various arrangements disclosed herein may be effectively employed in connection with robotically-controlled surgical systems. For example, various arrangements disclosed herein may be employed with various robotic systems, instruments, components and methods disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/118,241, entitled SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENTS WITH ROTATABLE STAPLE DEPLOYMENT ARRANGEMENTS, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0298719, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety herein.

The end effector 200 as shown comprises a set of operable closable jaws 220, 230. The end effector 200 as illustrated is adapted for capturing and transecting tissue and for the contemporaneously welding the captured tissue with controlled application of energy (e.g., RF energy). The jaws 220, 230 may be closed and opened by means of the axial advancement of the outer shaft or closure tube 110 as will be discussed in further detail below to thereby capture or engage tissue therebetween. The first and second jaws 220, 230 may also apply compression to the tissue. Other end effector arrangements may be configured to operably support a staple cartridge therein. Examples of such stapling instruments are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,794,475, entitled SURGICAL STAPLES HAVING COMPRESSIBLE OR CRUSHABLE MEMBERS FOR SECURING TISSUE THEREIN AND STAPLING INSTRUMENTS FOR DEPLOYING THE SAME, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.

In various arrangements, the end effector may comprise one or two movable jaws. FIG. 3 illustrates one form of an end effector 200 that may be employed, for example. Exemplary jaw arrangements are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,685,020, entitled SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS AND END EFFECTORS THEREFOR and U.S. Pat. No. 8,702,704, entitled ELECTROSURGICAL CUTTING AND SEALING INSTRUMENT, which have each been incorporated by reference herein in their entireties as well as other U.S. patents and Published patent applications that have been herein incorporated by reference. As described in those references, at least one of the jaws 220, 230 is configured to deliver energy from a generator 190 to the captured tissue. The engagement surfaces of the jaws 220, 230 can carry any of the energy delivery components disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,773,409, entitled SURGICAL SYSTEM FOR APPLYING ULTRASONIC ENERGY TO TISSUE, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.

In various arrangements, the electrosurgical energy delivered by electrical generator 190 may be regulated, or otherwise controlled, by a control unit 192 and may comprise radio frequency (RF) energy, or other suitable forms of electrical energy. Additional details regarding electrosurgical end effectors, jaw closing mechanisms, and electrosurgical energy-delivery surfaces are described in the following U.S. patents and published U.S. patent applications: U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,087,054; 7,083,619; 7,070,597; 7,041,102; 7,011,657; 6,929,644; 6,926,716; 6,913,579; 6,905,497; 6,802,843; 6,770,072; 6,656,177; 6,533,784; and 6,500,176; and U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2010/0036370 and 2009/0076506, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their respective entireties and are made a part of this specification.

The surgical instrument 10 also includes an actuation drive system, generally designated as 300. In the illustrated example, the actuation drive system 300 includes a firing drive member 310 that extends through the elongate shaft assembly 100 to be connected to a firing beam 312 that is adapted to operably interact with the end effector 200 and perform various functions therein. For example, the firing beam 312 may comprise a tissue cutting surface 314 that serves to transect the tissue that is clamped between the jaws 220, 230 as the firing beam 312 is advanced distally through the end effector 200. Once the firing beam 312 has been advanced to its distal-most “ending” position within the end effector 200, it may be withdrawn proximally to its starting position to enable the jaws 220, 230 to be opened to release the treated tissue. See FIG. 3. Examples of such firing beam arrangements are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,685,020; 8,702,704 and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2014/0194914, which have each been herein incorporated by reference in their entireties.

During operation of the surgical instrument 10, the user generally grasps tissue, supplies energy to the captured tissue to form a weld or a seal, and then drives the tissue-cutting surface 314 through the captured tissue. The translation of the axially moveable firing beam 312 may be paced, or otherwise controlled, to aid in driving the axially moveable firing beam 312 at a suitable or desired rate of travel. By controlling the rate of the travel, the likelihood that the captured tissue has been properly and functionally sealed prior to transection with the cutting surface 314 may be increased. If during the axial advancement of the cutting surface, the firing beam becomes jammed or is otherwise prevented from advancing at a desired rate, it may be desirable for the clinician to be notified of this condition and in some circumstances the advancement of the firing beam be discontinued to avoid potential damage to the end effector and system components.

As can be seen in FIG. 1, the handle 20 comprises a housing 21 formed from two housing segments 22, 24 that are attached together by screws, snap features, adhesive, etc. As indicated above, in the illustrated arrangement, the jaws 220, 230 are opened and closed by the axial movement of the closure tube 110. However other jaw closure arrangements may also be employed. For example, in alternative arrangements the initial distal advancement of the firing beam may be used to apply closing motions to one or more of the jaws.

As can be seen in FIG. 2, in the illustrated embodiment, the elongate shaft assembly 100 extends into the handle housing 21 and is supported for rotational travel relative thereto. The elongate shaft assembly 100 defines a shaft axis SA-SA, about which the elongate shaft assembly 100 is rotatable. A rotating knob 102 is keyed onto or otherwise attached to the elongate shaft assembly 100. Rotation of the knob 102 relative to the handle 20 will result in rotation of the elongate shaft assembly 100 as well as the end effector 200 about the shaft axis SA-SA. Such rotational travel is represented by arrows “R” in FIG. 2. The outermost tube or closure tube 110 is axially movable on a spine shaft or member 104 that extends through the closure tube 110 to be attached to the end effector 200. See FIG. 4. Axial movement of the closure tube 110 is represented by arrows “A” in FIGS. 2 and 4.

In the illustrated embodiment, movement of the closure tube 110 is controlled by a manually actuatable closure system, generally designated as 120. As can be seen in FIG. 2, the closure system 120 includes a closure trigger 122 that is pivotally or otherwise movably attached to or supported by the housing 21. The closure trigger 122 interfaces with a closure linkage 124 that is also pivotally supported within the housing 21 on a pivot pin 125. As can be seen in FIG. 2, a closure lug 126 is formed on the closure linkage 124 and is oriented between a pair of closure flanges 112 on the closure tube 110. Such arrangement permits rotation of the closure tube 110 about the shaft axis SA-SA relative to the closure lug 126. FIG. 2 illustrates the positions of the closure trigger 122 and the closure lug 126 when the closure trigger is in the unactuated position which corresponds to the open position of jaws 220, 230. A closure spring 128 is positioned between the housing 21 and the distal-most closure flange 112 to bias the closure tube 110 in the proximal direction “PD”. In addition a closure trigger spring 123 is employed to bias the closure trigger 122 in the unactuated position. When the user depresses the closure trigger 122, the closure lug 126 applies a distal force to the distal closure flange 112 to thereby urge the closure tube 110 in the distal direction “DD”. Distal movement of the closure tube 110 results in the application of closure motions to one or both of the jaws 220, 230 which ultimately causes one or both of the jaws 220, 230 to pivot or otherwise move toward each other (closed positions). In at least one arrangement, when the closure trigger 122 is fully depressed, a latching system retains the closure trigger 122 in that fully actuated position to thereby retain the jaws 220, 230 in the closed position.

As was briefly mentioned above, the illustrated instrument 10 also employs an actuation drive system 300 for axially advancing and retracting the firing drive member 310 and ultimately the firing beam 312. Other manually actuatable actuation or firing systems exist for controlling the advancement and retraction of a firing member within an end effector. Further, in alternative arrangements, the firing drive member 310 may operably interface with a robotically controlled system or a motor driven actuation system that may be manually controlled by the clinician. These various actuation systems, whether they be robotically actuated or otherwise actuated by a motor or motors supported in a handle, can still suffer from the problem of continuing to apply actuation motion to the actuation drive member after the actuation drive member has become jammed or its distal advancement has been undesirably hampered. If such condition occurs and actuation force continues to be applied to the actuation drive member, the actuation drive member and/or the firing beam can often be broken, damaged and the beam or firing head member may even become completely detached from the actuation drive member. Depending upon the specific design of the firing head or firing beam, if the firing beam is detached from the actuation drive member while being advanced through the end effector, the clinician may be unable to open the jaws to release the clamped tissue leading to catastrophic results. The various actuation drive system arrangements disclosed herein may avoid these problems.

Referring again to FIG. 2, the actuation drive system 300 includes a manually actuatable firing trigger 330 that is pivotally supported on the handle housing 21. The firing trigger 330 is pivotable from a “first” unactuated position (FIG. 2) to a “second” actuated position. In the illustrated arrangement, the firing trigger 330 may be linked to the closure trigger 122 through a series of pins/slots that serve to prevent actuation of the firing trigger 330 unless the closure trigger 122 has first been latched in its “fully-actuated” position. The firing trigger 330 is pivotably supported on the housing 21 to operably interface with a pair of spaced linkage plates 340 that are mounted for pivotal travel on pivot pin 125. Closure of the firing trigger 330 to the second or actuation position results in the pivotal travel of the linkage plates 340 from their unactuated position (FIG. 2) in the “P” direction and retraction of the firing trigger 330 from the second actuated position to the first unactuated position results in the movement of the linkage plates in an “X” direction. See FIG. 2.

As can be seen in FIGS. 2 and 4, the linkage plates 340 are configured to operably engage an overload assembly, generally designated as 350. In the illustrated arrangement, for example, the overload assembly 350 includes a shuttle housing 360 that is linked to the firing drive member 310 by an actuator linkage assembly 370. In one form, for example, the actuator linkage assembly 370 comprises a pair of spaced actuator links 372 that are coupled together by a connector pin 374 and extend on each side of the shuttle housing 360. Each actuator link 372 includes an actuator lug 376 that is adapted to be received in corresponding slots 382 formed in a drive block 380. The drive block 380 is attached to the firing drive member 310 by an attachment clip 383. The overload assembly further includes an actuation drive 390. In the illustrated arrangement, the actuation drive 390 comprises an actuation or drive plate 392 that is movably supported in a slot 362 in the shuttle housing 360. The proximal 394 end of the drive plate 392 is operably coupled to the actuator linkage assembly 370 by a drive pin 396 that extends through a hole 395 therein. As can be seen in FIGS. 2, 5, 7 and 8, the drive pin 396 extends through a slot 364 in the shuttle housing 360 and a slot 378 in each of the actuator links 372. Thus, the drive pin 396 is free to axially move within the slot 364 in the shuttle housing 360 and the slots 378 in the actuator links 372 facilitate such movement of the drive pin 396 while facilitating pivoting of the actuator links 374 during actuation as will be discussed in further detail below.

In the illustrated embodiment, the overload assembly 350 further comprises a resettable toggle assembly, generally designated as 410 that is configured to operably interface with the drive plate 392. In the illustrated embodiment, the toggle assembly 410 comprises a body portion 412 that is coupled to a toggle linkage 420. The body portion 412 is configured to be movably received within a slot 366 in the shuttle housing 360. See FIG. 9. As can be seen in that Figure, the slot 366 defines a toggle axis TA that is parallel to the shaft axis SA. The toggle linkage 420 is transitionable between a first or folded configuration wherein a portion of the toggle linkage 420 is in driving engagement with the drive plate 392 and an expanded configuration wherein the toggle linkage 420 has disengaged from the drive plate 392. As can be seen in FIG. 6, the toggle linkage 420 comprises a first toggle link 430 that is pinned to the shuttle housing 360 by a first toggle pin 424 such that the first toggle link 430 is pivotable about the first toggle pin 424. The first toggle ink 430 is pivotally pinned to a second toggle link 440 by a second toggle pin 442. The second toggle link 440 is pivotally pinned to the toggle body 412 by a third toggle pin 426. As can be seen in FIG. 5, the third toggle pin 426 is received within an axial slot 368 in the shuttle housing 360 such that the third toggle pin 426 is axially movable therein to accommodate the axial movement of the toggle body portion 412 within the shuttle housing 360.

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 9, the first toggle link 430 has a movable body portion 432 that extends through a toggle slot 398 in the drive plate 392 when the toggle linkage 420 is in the “first” or “folded” orientation. When in that position, the body portion 342 extends laterally from the toggle axis TA through the toggle slot 398 to be accommodated in a toggle cavity 369 in the shuttle housing 360. A resetting member in the form of a biasing member or spring 444 is employed to bias the toggle assembly 410 and more specifically the toggle linkage 420 into the “first” or “folded” orientation. The overload assembly 350 further includes a shuttle spring 351 for biasing the shuttle housing 360 into a starting or unfired position. See FIGS. 2, 4 and 5.

As indicated above, the firing trigger 322 is linked to the shuttle housing 360 by the linkage plates 340. As can be seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, for example, a distal attachment pin 344 extends transversely through the shuttle housing 360 and is received within actuator slots 345 in the linkage plates 340. Each actuator slot 345 has a first arcuate segment 346 and a second firing slot segment 348 that extends transversely from the first arcuate slot segment 346. When the surgical instrument 10 is in the “unfired” position, the shuttle housing 360 is biased into the starting position shown in FIGS. 2 and 4. When in that position, the distal attachment pin 344 is located at the top of each arcuate slot segment 346.

Initial actuation of the firing trigger 330 towards the closure trigger 122 will cause the linkage plates 340 to pivot in the “P” direction (FIG. 2). This initial actuation will not result in the distal advancement of the firing drive member 310 until the linkage plates 340 have been pivoted to the point where the distal attachment pin 344 has entered the second firing slot segments 348. See FIGS. 7 and 8. Further actuation of the firing trigger 330 causes the distal attachment pin 344 to move further within the firing slot segments 348 to thereby force the shuttle housing 360 in the distal direction “DD”. As the shuttle housing 360 is moved in the distal direction, the toggle assembly 410 remains engaged with the drive plate 392 and effectively links the drive plate 392 to the shuttle housing 360 so that the drive plate 392 also moves distally with the shuttle housing 360. See FIG. 11. Movement of the drive plate 392 in the distal direction “DD” results in the distal advancement of the firing member 310 and ultimately of the firing beam 312 through the end effector 10. Because the first toggle link 430 is pinned to the shuttle housing 360 by pin 424, further movement of the shuttle housing 360 in the distal direction “DD” causes the toggle assembly 410 to “collapse” or move from the first folded position toward an unfolded position wherein the toggle assembly 410 pivots out of the slot 398 in the drive plate 392 so as to bypass the drive plate 392. See FIGS. 12 and 13. Until the toggle assembly 410 has completely moved out of the slot 398 to the “bypass position”, further distal advancement of the shuttle housing 360 (through actuation of the firing trigger 330) will result in the continued distal advancement of the firing beam 312 through the end effector 10. As the toggle assembly 410 starts to collapse, the toggle assembly 410 will move forward with the shuttle housing 360 and the drive plate 392 will start sliding past it. As the toggle assembly 410 collapses flat, the force to fire or compress the firing trigger 330 will reduce until the toggle assembly 410 is all the way flat. At this point, the toggle assembly 410 will slide past or bypass the drive plate 392 until the firing trigger 330 hits a stop. Once the user releases the firing trigger 330, the return spring 351 will will bias the shuttle housing 360 in the proximal direction “PD”. This movement will return the firing trigger 330 and the drive plate 392 to their starting (unfired) positions and the toggle spring 444 will also bias the toggle assembly 410 to the folded position wherein the toggle linkage 420 extends through the slot 398 in the drive plate 392 as was described above. In various arrangements, the user can do this repeatedly without damaging the various actuation drive train components.

During actuation of the illustrated arrangement, the cutting surface 314 would be advanced through the tissue clamped between the jaws 220, 230. Under normal conditions, further actuation of the firing trigger 330 will result in the distal advancement of the firing beam 312 until the toggle assembly 410 disengages from the drive plate 392 which effectively disengages the shuttle housing 360 from the firing beam 312. When in that position, further actuation of the firing trigger 330 will not result in any further distal advancement of the firing beam 312. In at least one arrangement, under normal operating conditions, that bypassed condition of the toggle assembly 410 may correspond to the end position (distal-most position) of the firing beam 312 within the end effector 10. If however, during the distal advancement of the firing beam 312 through the end effector 10, the firing beam 312 becomes jammed or is otherwise prevented from advancing further through the end effector 10 or otherwise advancing through the end effector at a desired advancement rate, further compression of the firing trigger 330 will only apply a firing force on the firing bar 312 until the toggle assembly 410 disengages form the drive plate 392 so that further compression of the firing trigger 330 will not result in any further application of firing motions to the firing member 310 and ultimately to the firing beam 312. Such arrangement thereby avoids damaging and/or breaking of the firing beam 312 within the end effector 10 due to the inadvertent continued application of firing forces thereto after a jam has occurred. Instead of continuing to increase the firing load on the firing components until one or more of those components breaks, the load starts to increase then slowly starts to decrease until the trigger bottoms out. The sizes of the various components of the overload assembly may be adjusted to effectively “tune” the overload assembly so that it moves to the bypass condition at a desired point or more specifically, once the actuation force has exceeded a predetermined maximum amount. For example, the size of the springs, the toggle links and the angle of the first and second toggle links relative to each other and the body portion of the toggle assembly may be adjusted to achieve a desired decoupling point to prevent damage to the actuation drive system components.

In various embodiments, a window or an opening 23 may be provided through the housing to enable the user to monitor the status or position of the toggle assembly 410 during firing. See FIG. 1. In such arrangement, for example, if during actuation of the firing trigger 330, the user observes through the window or opening 23 that the toggle assembly 410 has collapsed to the bypass position, the user will know that the firing beam 312 has become jammed or there is some reason preventing the distal advancement of the firing beam 312 through the end effector 10 under normal firing conditions and/or at a desired advancement rate.

The embodiment in FIG. 14 employs a firing indicator 500 that is movably supported on the handle housing 21. As shown in that Figure, the firing indicator 500 is in a first neutral position. As can be further seen in that Figure, the toggle assembly 410 is in the first or folded position. During actuation of the firing system, the toggle assembly 410 will not attain the collapsed or bypass orientation until the firing beam 312 has reached its distal-most position or it has become inadvertently jammed or its distal progress has been sufficiently undesirably impeded. When the toggle assembly 410 is in the bypass position, a tail portion formed on the first toggle link extends through an opening in the shuttle housing 360 to force or urge the firing indicator 500 laterally into a second position that is observable by the user to provide the user with a visual indication of the status of the firing beam (i.e., either that the firing beam has reached its distal most position or that its distal advancement has been impeded and stopped to prevent damage thereof). Although not shown in FIG. 14, for example, a portion of the firing indicator 500 may extend through an opening in the handle housing 21 so that the user may see it when in the second position. FIG. 15 illustrates use of a switch 510 that may cooperate with a control system 520 to generate an electrical control signal for communication with a generator 190, a visual display, an audio speaker, a vibration or tactile feedback device, etc. to provide the user with one or more of these various forms of feedback.

FIGS. 16-18 illustrate a firing system 600 that is designed to prevent further axial advancement of a firing or drive shaft assembly 610 at a desired advancement rate once the amount of firing or actuation force needed for the continued advancement exceeds a predetermined magnitude to prevent inadvertent damage to the shaft assembly and/or various end effector components. FIG. 19 illustrates a firing drive member 620 that operably interfaces with the drive shaft assembly 610 such that when the firing drive member is pivoted or otherwise actuated, the drive shaft assembly 610 is axially driven in the distal direction “DD”. In the illustrated embodiment, the firing drive member 620 operably interfaces with a proximal shaft portion 612 of the drive shaft assembly. Attached to the proximal shaft segment 612 is a pair of shaft segments 614, 618. Shaft segment 614 has an inwardly extending angled surface 616 and shaft segment 618 has an angled surface 620 that faces angled surface 616. Shaft segments 614, 618 interface with a distal shaft segment 630 that has a wedge 632 formed thereon that extends between angled surfaces 616, 620 as shown in FIGS. 17 and 19. One or more attachment members 640 are employed to retain the shaft segments 614, 618, 630 in alignment as shown in FIG. 17. The attachment members 640 may comprise a leaf-spring that retains the shaft segments 614, 618, 630 in alignment while the shaft assembly 610 is advanced distally as a unit under a first amount of actuation force “AF”. However, if this axial advancement becomes impeded or completely stopped, the amount of actuation force required to continue the advancement will necessarily increase. When this condition occurs, however, continued application of the actuation force will cause the attachment members 640 to start to flex to permit the shaft segments 614, 618 to start to separate and thereby start to reduce the amount of actuation force AF applied to the distal shaft segment 630. Such shaft arrangement will prevent undesirable further distal advancement of the distal shaft segment 630 (and the end effector components attached thereto) should the actuation force exceed a predetermined magnitude to thereby prevent damage of the shaft assembly 610 and/or other end effector components should the actuation force continue to be inadvertently applied thereto.

FIGS. 19 and 20 illustrate another firing system 700 that is somewhat identical to firing system 600 except that firing system 700 employs a series of engagement notches 712 in a hollow tube or shaft 710 through which the shaft assembly 610 extends. As the proximal shaft segments 614, 618 spread open, their respective tips engage the notches 712 in the shaft 710 to prevent further axial advancement thereof which ultimately prevents any further axial advancement of the distal shaft segment 630.

FIGS. 21 and 22 illustrate another firing system 800 that employs an overload arrangement generally designated as 850. In the illustrated arrangement, the firing system 800 includes a proximal firing driver 810 that may be movably supported within an external hollow shaft. The firing driver 810 is configured to receive an actuation force “AF” from an actuation member or system (not shown). The distal end of the firing driver 810 has an angled surface 812 that is configured to interface with an angled surface 822 on a distal drive coupler 820 that is attached to a distal drive shaft 824. The distal drive shaft 824 may be attached to or operably interface with various forms of end effector components that are actuated by the axial movement of the distal drive shaft 824. If those components become jammed or their normal axial progress becomes impeded, the angled surface 812 on the distal driver 820 will start to slide up the confronting angled surface 822 on the distal drive coupler 820. Continued application of the actuation force AF will ultimately cause the angled surface 812 of firing driver 810 to slide off of the angled surface 822 on the distal drive coupler to the orientation shown in FIG. 22.

Still referring to FIGS. 21 and 22, the overload arrangement 850 may include an indication assembly 860 that includes an indicator slide 862 that is slidably supported adjacent the firing system 800 and more specifically adjacent the firing driver 810. In the illustrated arrangement, the firing system 800 as well as the indication assembly 860 are operably supported in the handle housing 21. The indicator slide 862 is biased into a neutral position by a biasing member 864 as shown in FIG. 22. The indicator slide 862 may further include an indicator member 866 which may be a mark that is viewable through an opening 872 in the housing 21. In alternative arrangements, the indicator member may comprise a light emitting diode (“LED”) that is controlled or otherwise communicates with an instrument control system, robotic system, etc. A switch (not shown) may be provided on the indicator slide 862 such that the LED is not powered until the indicator slide 862 has been moved to the position shown in FIG. 22, for example. In other arrangements, when the switch on the indicator slide is activated, the control system may also activate a speaker and/or a tactile feedback member to provide further notification to the clinician that the overload or bypass condition has occurred.

During use, the user applies the actuation force AF to the firing driver 820. This may be applied, for example, by a movable firing trigger or other actuator arrangement (motor driven, robot driven, etc.) in a manner as described above. If the axial advancement of the firing driver or beam through the end effector becomes jammed or otherwise impeded, the amount of actuation force required to continue the advancement will necessarily increase. If such condition occurs, continued application of the actuation force will cause the angled surface 812 of the firing driver 810 to slidably disengage from the angled surface 822 from the distal drive coupler 820 and the tip or other portion 814 of the firing driver will engage a corresponding notch 868 in the indicator slide 862. Continued application of the actuation force AF to the firing driver 820 causes the firing driver 820 to slidably move the indicator slide 862 in the distal direction “DD” so as to bring the indicator member 866 into viewable registration with the opening in the housing 21 to thereby provide the user with an indication that the actuation force has exceeded the maximum predetermined amount.

FIGS. 23 and 24 illustrate another surgical instrument 910 that includes a firing system 920 that employs an overload arrangement generally designated as 940. In the illustrated arrangement, the firing system 920 includes a proximal drive shaft segment 922 that is movably supported within the handle housing 912. The proximal drive shaft segment 922 is configured to receive an actuation force “AF” from an actuation member or system (not shown) to drive the proximal drive shaft segment 922 in the distal direction “DD”. The distal end of the proximal drive shaft segment 922 has an angled surface 924 that is configured to interface with an angled surface 934 on a distal drive coupler 932 that is pivotally coupled to a distal drive shaft segment 930. The distal drive shaft segment 930 may be attached to or operably interface with various forms of end effector components that are actuated by the axial movement of the distal drive shaft segment 930. Should the axially movable end effector components and/or the distal drive shaft segment 930 become jammed or otherwise impeded, the angled surface 924 on the proximal drive shaft segment 922 will start to slide up the confronting angled surface 934 on the distal drive coupler 932 and start to force the distal drive coupler 932 to pivot in the direction represented by arrow 935 in FIG. 25. Continued application of the actuation force will cause the proximal drive shaft segment 922 to slidably disengage from the distal drive coupler 932 so that further distal movement of the proximal drive shaft segment 922 will not be transferred to the distal driver coupler 932 and therefore not transferred to the distal drive shaft segment 930.

The illustrated embodiment also employs an indicator member 940 to provide the user with an indication when the actuation force AF has exceeded a predetermined maximum amount and that the distal drive shaft segment is no longer being distally advanced regardless of whether further actuation force is being applied to the firing system. As can be seen in FIG. 24, the indicator member 940 has an end portion 942 that is positioned to slidably extend through an opening 25 in the handle housing 21. A biasing member 944 serves to bias the indicator member 940 in a first lateral position as shown in FIG. 24. FIG. 25 illustrates the position of the distal drive coupler after the actuation force has exceeded a maximum predetermined amount. As can be seen in that Figure, when the distal drive coupler is in that position, it laterally biases the indicator member 940 in a second a lateral direction “LD” to the second position shown in that Figure. When in that position, the end portion 942 of the indicator member 940 is readily viewable by the user to provide the user with an indication that the maximum actuation force has been exceeded. Once the proximal drive shaft segment 922 is returned to its unactuated position, the spring 944 biases the indicator member 940 back to the starting position shown in FIG. 23.

Various firing or actuation drive systems disclosed herein are configured to actuate, manipulate or otherwise move a component or components within a surgical end effector attached thereto. For example, the drive systems may cause a component to be axially advanced through the surgical end effector from a starting position to an ending position at a desired rate of advancement upon application of an actuation force or action motion to various portions of the actuation or firing drive system. If during the axial advancement of the component through the end effector, the component becomes jammed or otherwise prevented from being advanced therein, the clinician (or motorized drive or robotic system) could unwittingly continue to apply the actuation force to the actuation drive system which could result in the damage of the component and as well as other drive system components. If, for example, the movable component encounters a tissue condition which will slow the advancement rate and/or progress therethrough, the amount of actuation force required to continue the advancement may necessarily be increased. Further advancement of the component under those conditions and under higher actuation forces may also result in damage to end effector and system components. Various embodiments of the present invention address at least some, if not all of these challenges.

EXAMPLES Example 1

A surgical instrument comprising an end effector and a trigger that is actuatable between a first position and a second position. An actuation drive is movable between an unactuated position and an actuated position in response to actuation of the trigger. A toggle assembly is transitionable between a folded configuration and an expanded configuration, wherein the toggle assembly is configured to motivate the actuation drive to effectuate a movement in the end effector in the folded configuration, and wherein the toggle assembly is configured to bypass the actuation drive in the expanded configuration. A resetting member is operable to return the toggle assembly to the folded configuration.

Example 2

The surgical instrument of Example 1, wherein the actuation drive comprises an actuation plate, and wherein the toggle assembly is configured exert a drive force against the actuation plate to effectuate the movement in the end effector.

Example 3

The surgical instrument of Examples 1 or 2 wherein the resetting member comprises a biasing member.

Example 4

The surgical instrument of Examples 1, 2 or 3, wherein the surgical instrument further further comprises a biasing member that is configured to return the actuation drive to the unactuated position upon release of the actuation drive from the toggle assembly.

Example 5

The surgical instrument of Examples 1, 2, 3 or 4, wherein the surgical instrument further comprises an indicator that is activated by the toggle assembly when the toggle assembly is in the expanded configuration.

Example 6

The surgical instrument of Examples 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5, wherein the toggle assembly is operably supported in a housing and wherein the housing comprises an opening through which at least a portion of the toggle assembly is viewable when the toggle assembly is in the expanded configuration.

Example 7

The surgical instrument of Examples 1, 2, 3 or 4 wherein the surgical instrument further comprises means for indicating when the toggle member is in the expanded configuration.

Example 8

The surgical instrument of Example 7, wherein the means for indicating comprises means for generating an electrical signal when the toggle assembly is in the expanded configuration.

Example 9

The surgical instrument of Example 8, wherein the means for generating comprises a control system and a switch that operably communicates with the control system such that when the toggle assembly is in the expanded configuration, the switch cooperates with the control system to generate the electrical signal.

Example 10

The surgical instrument of Example 9, wherein the control system comprises at least one indicator selected from the group of indicators consisting of a speaker, a tactile motion generator and a display screen.

Example 11

A surgical instrument comprising a surgical end effector and a first drive member that is supported for axial travel between first and second positions relative to the surgical end effector and operably interfaces therewith. A second drive member is supported for axial movement in response to axial actuation motions applied thereto and is configured to transfer the axial actuation motions to the first drive member to axially move the first drive member from the first position to the second position until the first drive member is prevented from moving axially at which point the second driver is configured to move to a bypass position wherein the second driver ceases the transfer of the axial actuation motions to the first drive member.

Example 12

The surgical instrument of Example 11, wherein the first and second drive members are coaxially aligned until the second driver is moved to the bypass position.

Example 13

The surgical instrument of Example 11, wherein the first and second drive members are not coaxially aligned.

Example 14

The surgical instrument of Examples 11, 12 or 13, wherein the first drive member has first angled surface on a proximal end thereof and wherein the second drive member has a second angled surface on a distal end thereof. The second angled surface is supported in driving engagement with the first angled surface until the first drive member is prevented from moving axially at which point continued application of the axial actuation motions to the second drive member causes the second angled surface to slidably disengage from the first angled surface.

Example 15

The surgical instrument of Examples 11, 12 or 13 wherein the second drive member comprises a first proximal shaft segment that has a first angled surface thereon. A second proximal shaft segment has a second angled surface thereon. The first and second proximal shaft segments are supported adjacent each other in a first position such that the first and second angled surfaces cooperate to form a distal cavity therebetween. The first drive member comprises a distal shaft segment that includes a wedge-shaped proximal end that is configured to extend into the distal cavity between the first proximal shaft segment and the second proximal shaft segment. The surgical end effector further comprises means that is coupled to the first and second proximal shaft segments and the distal shaft segment so that the first and second proximal shaft segments and the distal shaft segment axially move as a unit in response to an application of axial actuation motions to the first and second proximal shaft segments while permitting the first and second proximal shaft segments to axially move relative to the distal shaft segment when the distal shaft segment is prevented from axially moving at a desired rate.

Example 16

The surgical instrument of Examples 11, 12, 13, 14, or 15 further comprising indicator means for indicating that the second member is in the bypass position.

Example 17

The surgical instrument of Example 16, wherein the indicator means comprises comprises at least one indicator selected from the group of indicators consisting of a speaker, a tactile motion generator and a display screen.

Example 18

The surgical instrument of Examples 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, or 17 wherein the surgical end effector comprises a first jaw and a second jaw wherein at least one of the first and second jaws is movable between open and closed positions in response to closing and opening motions applied thereto and wherein the second drive member operably interfaces with a cutting member configured to move axially through the end effector when the at least one of the first and second jaws is in the closed position.

Example 19

The surgical instrument of Example 18 wherein the at least one of the first and second jaws comprises an electrode communicating with a generator of electrical energy.

Example 20

A surgical instrument comprising a surgical end effector and an actuation drive system that operably interfaces with the surgical end effector. The actuation drive system comprises a first drive member that is supported for axial travel between a starting and an ending position relative to the surgical end effector and operably interfaces therewith. A second drive member is supported in axial alignment with the first drive member such that the second drive member axially moves the first drive member between the starting and ending positions upon application of axial actuation motions to the second drive member unless the first drive member is prevented from moving from the starting position to the ending position at a desired rate at which point continued application of the axial actuation motions to the second drive member moves the second drive member out of axial alignment with the first drive member to prevent the second drive member from axially moving the first drive member.

The entire disclosures of:

U.S. Pat. No. 5,403,312, entitled ELECTROSURGICAL HEMOSTATIC DEVICE, which issued on Apr. 4, 1995;

U.S. Pat. No. 7,000,818, entitled SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENT HAVING SEPARATE DISTINCT CLOSING AND FIRING SYSTEMS, which issued on Feb. 21, 2006;

U.S. Pat. No. 7,422,139, entitled MOTOR-DRIVEN SURGICAL CUTTING AND FASTENING INSTRUMENT WITH TACTILE POSITION FEEDBACK, which issued on Sep. 9, 2008;

U.S. Pat. No. 7,464,849, entitled ELECTRO-MECHANICAL SURGICAL INSTRUMENT WITH CLOSURE SYSTEM AND ANVIL ALIGNMENT COMPONENTS, which issued on Dec. 16, 2008;

U.S. Pat. No. 7,670,334, entitled SURGICAL INSTRUMENT HAVING AN ARTICULATING END EFFECTOR, which issued on Mar. 2, 2010;

U.S. Pat. No. 7,753,245, entitled SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENTS, which issued on Jul. 13, 2010;

U.S. Pat. No. 8,393,514, entitled SELECTIVELY ORIENTABLE IMPLANTABLE FASTENER CARTRIDGE, which issued on Mar. 12, 2013;

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/343,803, entitled SURGICAL INSTRUMENT HAVING RECORDING CAPABILITIES, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,845,537;

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/031,573, entitled SURGICAL CUTTING AND FASTENING INSTRUMENT HAVING RF ELECTRODES, filed Feb. 14, 2008;

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/031,873, entitled END EFFECTORS FOR A SURGICAL CUTTING AND STAPLING INSTRUMENT, filed Feb. 15, 2008, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,980,443;

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/235,782, entitled MOTOR-DRIVEN SURGICAL CUTTING INSTRUMENT, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,210,411;

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/249,117, entitled POWERED SURGICAL CUTTING AND STAPLING APPARATUS WITH MANUALLY RETRACTABLE FIRING SYSTEM, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,608,045;

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/647,100, entitled MOTOR-DRIVEN SURGICAL CUTTING INSTRUMENT WITH ELECTRIC ACTUATOR DIRECTIONAL CONTROL ASSEMBLY, filed Dec. 24, 2009, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,220,688;

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/893,461, entitled STAPLE CARTRIDGE, filed Sep. 29, 2012, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,733,613;

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/036,647, entitled SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENT, filed Feb. 28, 2011, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,561,870;

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/118,241, entitled SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENTS WITH ROTATABLE STAPLE DEPLOYMENT ARRANGEMENTS, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0298719;

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/524,049, entitled ARTICULATABLE SURGICAL INSTRUMENT COMPRISING A FIRING DRIVE, filed on Jun. 15, 2012; now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013/0334278;

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/800,025, entitled STAPLE CARTRIDGE TISSUE THICKNESS SENSOR SYSTEM, filed on Mar. 13, 2013; now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0263551;

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/800,067, entitled STAPLE CARTRIDGE TISSUE THICKNESS SENSOR SYSTEM, filed on Mar. 13, 2013, now U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0263552;

U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0175955, entitled SURGICAL CUTTING AND FASTENING INSTRUMENT WITH CLOSURE TRIGGER LOCKING MECHANISM, filed Jan. 31, 2006; and

U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0264194, entitled SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENT WITH AN ARTICULATABLE END EFFECTOR, filed Apr. 22, 2010, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,308,040, are hereby incorporated by reference herein.

Although the various embodiments of the devices have been described herein in connection with certain disclosed embodiments, many modifications and variations to those embodiments may be implemented. Also, where materials are disclosed for certain components, other materials may be used. Furthermore, according to various embodiments, a single component may be replaced by multiple components, and multiple components may be replaced by a single component, to perform a given function or functions. The foregoing description and following claims are intended to cover all such modification and variations.

With respect to the use of substantially any plural and/or singular terms herein, those having skill in the art can translate from the plural to the singular and/or from the singular to the plural as is appropriate to the context and/or application. The various singular/plural permutations are not expressly set forth herein for sake of clarity.

The herein described subject matter sometimes illustrates different components contained within, or connected with, different other components. It is to be understood that such depicted architectures are merely exemplary, and that in fact many other architectures may be implemented which achieve the same functionality. In a conceptual sense, any arrangement of components to achieve the same functionality is effectively “associated” such that the desired functionality is achieved. Hence, any two components herein combined to achieve a particular functionality can be seen as “associated with” each other such that the desired functionality is achieved, irrespective of architectures or intermedial components. Likewise, any two components so associated can also be viewed as being “operably connected,” or “operably coupled,” to each other to achieve the desired functionality, and any two components capable of being so associated can also be viewed as being “operably couplable,” to each other to achieve the desired functionality. Specific examples of operably couplable include but are not limited to physically mateable and/or physically interacting components, and/or wirelessly interactable, and/or wirelessly interacting components, and/or logically interacting, and/or logically interactable components.

Although various embodiments have been described herein, many modifications, variations, substitutions, changes, and equivalents to those embodiments may be implemented and will occur to those skilled in the art. Also, where materials are disclosed for certain components, other materials may be used. It is therefore to be understood that the foregoing description and the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and variations as falling within the scope of the disclosed embodiments. The following claims are intended to cover all such modification and variations.

The devices disclosed herein can be designed to be disposed of after a single use, or they can be designed to be used multiple times. In either case, however, the device can be reconditioned for reuse after at least one use. Reconditioning can include any combination of the steps of disassembly of the device, followed by cleaning or replacement of particular pieces, and subsequent reassembly. In particular, the device can be disassembled, and any number of the particular pieces or parts of the device can be selectively replaced or removed in any combination. Upon cleaning and/or replacement of particular parts, the device can be reassembled for subsequent use either at a reconditioning facility, or by a surgical team immediately prior to a surgical procedure. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that reconditioning of a device can utilize a variety of techniques for disassembly, cleaning/replacement, and reassembly. Use of such techniques, and the resulting reconditioned device, are all within the scope of the present application.

Preferably, the invention described herein will be processed before surgery. First, a new or used instrument is obtained and if necessary cleaned. The instrument can then be sterilized. In one sterilization technique, the instrument is placed in a closed and sealed container, such as a plastic or TYVEK bag. The container and instrument are then placed in a field of radiation that can penetrate the container, such as gamma radiation, x-rays, or high-energy electrons. The radiation kills bacteria on the instrument and in the container. The sterilized instrument can then be stored in the sterile container. The sealed container keeps the instrument sterile until it is opened in the medical facility.

Any patent, publication, or other disclosure material, in whole or in part, that is said to be incorporated by reference herein is incorporated herein only to the extent that the incorporated materials does not conflict with existing definitions, statements, or other disclosure material set forth in this disclosure. As such, and to the extent necessary, the disclosure as explicitly set forth herein supersedes any conflicting material incorporated herein by reference. Any material, or portion thereof, that is said to be incorporated by reference herein, but which conflicts with existing definitions, statements, or other disclosure material set forth herein will only be incorporated to the extent that no conflict arises between that incorporated material and the existing disclosure material.

In summary, numerous benefits have been described which result from employing the concepts described herein. The foregoing description of the one or more embodiments has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or limiting to the precise form disclosed. Modifications or variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The one or more embodiments were chosen and described in order to illustrate principles and practical application to thereby enable one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the claims submitted herewith define the overall scope. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A surgical instrument, comprising: an end effector; a trigger actuatable between a first position and a second position; an actuation drive movable between an unactuated position and an actuated position in response to actuation of the trigger; a toggle assembly transitionable between a folded configuration and an expanded configuration, wherein the toggle assembly is configured to motivate the actuation drive to effectuate a movement in the end effector in the folded configuration, and wherein the toggle assembly is configured to bypass the actuation drive in the expanded configuration; and a resetting member operable to return the toggle assembly to the folded configuration.
 2. The surgical instrument of claim 1, wherein the actuation drive comprises an actuation plate, and wherein the toggle assembly is configured exert a drive force against the actuation plate to effectuate the movement in the end effector.
 3. The surgical instrument of claim 1, wherein the resetting member comprises a biasing member.
 4. The surgical instrument of claim 1, further comprising a biasing member configured to return the actuation drive to the unactuated position upon release of the actuation drive from the toggle assembly.
 5. The surgical instrument of claim 1, further comprising an indicator that is activated by the toggle assembly when the toggle assembly is in the expanded configuration.
 6. The surgical instrument of claim 1, wherein the toggle assembly is operably supported in a housing and wherein the housing comprises an opening through which at least a portion of the toggle assembly is viewable when the toggle assembly is in the expanded configuration.
 7. The surgical instrument of claim 1, further comprising means for indicating when the toggle member is in the expanded configuration.
 8. The surgical instrument of claim 7, wherein said means for indicating comprises means for generating an electrical signal when the toggle assembly is in the expanded configuration.
 9. The surgical instrument of claim 8 wherein said means for generating comprises: a control system; and a switch operably communicating with said control system such that when said toggle assembly is in said expanded configuration, said switch cooperates with said control system to generate said electrical signal.
 10. The surgical instrument of claim 9 wherein said control system comprises at least one indicator selected from the group of indicators consisting of a speaker, a tactile motion generator and a display screen.
 11. A surgical instrument, comprising: a surgical end effector; a first drive member supported for axial travel between first and second positions relative to said surgical end effector and operably interfacing therewith; and a second drive member supported for axial movement in response to axial actuation motions applied thereto and configured to transfer said axial actuation motions to said first drive member to axially move said first drive member from said first position to said second position until said first drive member is prevented from moving axially at which point said second driver is configured to move to a bypass position wherein said second driver ceases said transfer of said axial actuation motions to said first drive member.
 12. The surgical instrument of claim 11 wherein said first and second drive members are coaxially aligned until said second driver is moved to said bypass position.
 13. The surgical instrument of claim 11 wherein said first and second drive members are not coaxially aligned.
 14. The surgical instrument of claim 11 wherein said first drive member has first angled surface on a proximal end thereof and wherein said second drive member has a second angled surface on a distal end thereof, said second angled surface in driving engagement with said first angled surface until said first drive member is prevented from moving axially at which point continued application of said axial actuation motions to said second drive member causes said second angled surface to slidably disengage from said first angled surface.
 15. The surgical instrument of claim 11 wherein said second drive member, comprises: a first proximal shaft segment having a first angled surface thereon; and a second proximal shaft segment having a second angled surface thereon, said first and second proximal shaft segments supported adjacent each other in a first position such that said first and second angled surfaces cooperate to form a distal cavity therebetween and wherein said first drive member comprises a distal shaft segment including a wedge-shaped proximal end configured to extend into said distal cavity between said first proximal shaft segment and said second proximal shaft segment and wherein said surgical end effector further comprises means coupled to said first and second proximal shaft segments and said distal shaft segment so that said first and second proximal shaft segments and said distal shaft segment axially move as a unit in response to an application of axial actuation motions to said first and second proximal shaft segments while permitting the first and second proximal shaft segments to axially move relative to the distal shaft segment when the distal shaft segment is prevented from axially moving at a desired rate.
 16. The surgical instrument of claim 11 further comprising indicator means for indicating that the second drive member is in the bypass position.
 17. The surgical instrument of claim 16 wherein said indicator means comprises comprises at least one indicator selected from the group of indicators consisting of a speaker, a tactile motion generator and a display screen.
 18. The surgical instrument of claim 11 wherein said surgical end effector comprises a first jaw and a second jaw, at least one of said first and second jaws being movable between open and closed positions in response to closing and opening motions applied thereto and wherein said second drive member operably interfaces with a cutting member configured to move axially through said end effector when said at least one of said first and second jaws is in said closed position.
 19. The surgical instrument of claim 18 wherein at least one of said first and second jaws comprises an electrode communicating with a generator of electrical energy.
 20. A surgical instrument, comprising: a surgical end effector; and an actuation drive system operably interfacing with said surgical end effector, said actuation drive system comprising: a first drive member supported for axial travel between a starting and an ending position relative to said surgical end effector and operably interfacing therewith; and a second drive member supported in axial alignment with said first drive member such that said second drive member axially moves said first drive member between said starting and ending positions upon application of axial actuation motions to said second drive member unless said first drive member is prevented from moving from said starting position to said ending position at a desired rate at which point continued application of said axial actuation motions to said second drive member moves said second drive member out of axial alignment with said first drive member to prevent said second drive member from axially moving said first drive member. 